See the Line a huge success

Professional athletes, medical researchers, and clinicians shared the spotlight at this year’s See the Line symposium with the common goal of reducing the number of sports-related concussions in Canada through education and research. The 2nd annual public education and awareness event, which took place on August 13, featured keynote speaker, Dr. Bob Cantu, and honorary chair and NHL great, Eric Lindros.

In Canada, just under 100,000 concussions occur every year, and more than half are sport-related. For some, recovery is relatively short and there are no lasting effects, but for others it may take months or years before it is safe to return to play and symptoms are completely absent. The day’s line-up of researchers discussed a range of concussion topics including how to better diagnose and treat concussions, when it is safe to return to play, and the level of awareness that athletes have related to concussions before they engage in contact sports.

The day capped off with an athlete panel, including Hamilton Tiger Cats star and Western alumnus, Andy Fantuz; Tim Fleiszer, former CFL defensive lineman and four-time Grey Cup Champion; Eric Lindros, six-time NHL All-Star; and Marnie McBean, four-time Olympic gold medal winner. The panel provided insight into how professional athletes view concussions and how the culture around head injuries has changed over time.

To continue with the past momentum of See the Line, this year a new partnership was announced aiming to help understand and mitigate the long-term effects of concussion and making London the Canadian centre of concussion research. The partnership makes Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry the new home for the Canadian chapter of the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI Canada). Combining Western University’s leading expertise in medical research and education, with SLI Canada’s established reputation for concussion awareness, sets a new standard for the quality of education, research and health care related to concussions in sport.